Shock-absorber



C. A. WIBERG.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY12,19|9.

1,319,937. Patented 0m. 28, 919.

Diql,

INVENTOR (WA-WM 4 ATTORNEYS C. A. WIBERG.

SHOCK ABSORBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. H9.

1,319,937. Patented Oct. 28,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IF I q '/////////////Z I g! v l I L 55 j H INVENTOR Clea rZeoA. Wiey.

of the said frame,

UNITED STATES PATENT omen CHARLES A. WIZBEBG, OF DULUTH, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF ON E-FIFTH T0 OSCAR W GHALLSTBOH, 0F DULUTH, MINNESOTA.

SHOCK-ABSORBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Kay 12, 1919. Serial No. 896,474.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Cnnnnns A. Wmnnu, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the count of Saint Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Shock- Absorbers, of which t fication.

My invention has for its purpose to pro-. vide an improved construction of shock absorbing means adapted to be interposed between the regular or main leaf spring of an automobile d the frame supported by the said main s rin and which is designed to increase the on ionin efl'ect desired. to be obtained when the ve icle frame moves in relation to its running gear and thereby prevent the violent depression and rebound when the runnin gear encountersdepresslons in the road be:

other ob ect of my invention is to provide an improved shock absorber, of the are] character stated, that may be read- 1 y and easily applied to ve 'cles of common constructions without material chan of existing parts and which includes the embodiment of devices that operate to so increase the cushioning effect as the de "ression or rebound increases, that the s ook will be adually absorbed without a sudden chec? in the movement of the vehicle frame.

With the fore oing objects and other puroses in view which will appear in the folowing detailed description of the parts that constitute my invention, in said invention resides in the peculiar com ination and arrangement of the said parts and the details of construction thereof hereinafter explained, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that c anges and modifications of the precise invention as herein set without de arting from mfy said invention as comes within the sec 0 the appended claims and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings; in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of the left hand end of a motor vehicle frame with my shock absorber operatively mounted thereon, arts of the auxiliary cushioning devices being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a detail horizontal section thereof on the line 22 on Fig. ,1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail vertical sections construction of my forth. may be made e following is a speci of parts of the auxiliary devices of the shock absorber hereinafter specifically referred to.

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 55 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the outer end of the pivotally connected crossed arms and illustrates the connection with the corresponding end of the main leaf spring.

Fig. 7 is a face view that illustrates a slightly modified shape of the cross member that connects with the leaf spring and hereinafter again referred to.

Fig. 8 is a detail erspective view that illustrates the shiftab e connection between the piston rod and the upper member of the pivot or crossed levers.

Fi 9 is a side elevation of a somewhat modihed form of my invention.

Fig. 10 illustrates a further modification of my invention, the latter construction being especially provided for use in connection with the side and back springs of the vehicle.

' Fig. 11 is a detail cross section taken on the line 11-11 on Fig. 9.

Fig. 12 is a detail sectional view takenon the line 12-12 on Fig. 9.

Referrin now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 8, which illustrate the preferred construction of my shock absorber, 6 designates a portion of an automobile chassis frame and 7 the main leaf spring between which and the frame 6 my shock absorbing devices are inter osed, which devices, in the said preferred ibrm, include a stout coil spring 3 that is mounted between the inner ends of'a pair of o posing crossed lever arms 1 and 2, pivotal connected, by a in 31, in a manner best 3 iown in Fig. 6 which also illustrates the outer or lower end of the arm 2 as bifurcated to straddle the outer or upper end of the member 1.

he inner end of the bifurcation constitutes a shoulder 46 1 and 2 from spreading too much.

The end of arm 2 is pivotally connected, by a pin 5, to an eye at the outer end of the main spring, the end of the other arm 1 being likewise joined b the pivot in 4 to the outer or horn end 0 the chassis rame portion 6.

In practice, the several pivot pins 31, 5 and 4 are provided with the usual attached grease cups not shown).

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the

that prevents the arms end of arm 2 has a more abrupt curve than in the other form of said arm, whereby to provide for pivotally connecting with a hanger 45 that is needed for connecting the arm with some types of the main spring 7.

'hen the parts are arranged, as best shown in Fig. 1, the buffer or auxiliary spring 3 is securely connected at the top to the upper or inner end of the arm 2 by the clamp bolts 17-17, its bottom end being fixedly supported upon the horizontal ringlike inner end of the arm 1' and which includes a half circle clamping member 100, the purpose of which will presently appear. In the preferred form, the auxiliary cushioning means includes a spring checker which is in the nature of a dash pot consisting of a cylindrical casing 8 formed with an annular groove 80 which plrovides for firmly holding the cylinder wit 1n the ring end of the arm 1, which end includes the semi-circular clamping member 100 that engages the cylinder groove 80, as 13 best shown in Fig. 2.

The cylinder 8 is also firmly mounted 111 the upright position upon and secured to the main spring 7 by a coupling 26 which straddles the said spring, see Fig. 5.

\Vhen the parts are operatively assembled, the cylinder 8 is filled with oil and receives a plunger 9 of special construction, best shown m Fig. 4, by reference to which it will be observed the said lunger 9 has a central opening 90 surroun ed at the top by a socket-like valve seat 91 in which plays a disk valve 19 having a central restricted aperture 20 for the passage of the oil, or other fluid contained in the cylinder.

The small aperture 19 in the valve disk provides for the fluid assing slowly from beneath the piston 9, t at is, not as fast as the spring'3 requires on its rebound or expansion, tothereby check or cause the spring 3 to rise or expand slowly back to its normally extended position.

25-2'5 designate the piston packing rings and 23 a cage frame that bridges over the central valve 19 and its seat, and the said cage frame constitutes the means for connecting with the lower end of the piston rod 14, which end has a step bearing and is threaded to engage the cage frame and to receive the clam nut 24, as shown.

The piston 1'0 14 1passes through a gland on the casingzitop, w ich' gland, in the const ruction shown in detail in Fig. 3, includes a conical packing chamber closed by a screw cap 11.

12 and 13 designate fiber and metal paclc ing fillings, respectively, that tend to automatically tighten about the rod 14 as fast as it wears.

21 indicates a screw plu closed filling aperture in the top of the cylinder 8.

The up .1 end of the iston rod 11 is yieldingly connected to tie inner end of the arm 2 to allow the said upper end of the rod 14 to swing aterally, as may be necessary as the arm 2 1.1 forced downwardly in the direction of the arrow 3 on Fig. 1, and, for such purpose. the arm 2 has a horizontal slot 15 that merges .h an elongated vertical slot in which the lluttened extremity of the rod 11 plays and which is connected with the arm 1 by a cross bolt 16 whose opposite ends ride in the slot 15, as shown.

The use and operation of my shock absorber, when developed in the preferred form, hercinbefore described, is as follows:

It is well understood by those skilled in the art to which this invention relates that the main leaf spring used in automo ile suspension has obvious limitations.

If sufficiently strong to-carry the weight of the vehicle and protect the parts from road shocks, it is more or less unaffected by minor shocks or vibrations. If such main spring is so flexible that it is sensitive to minor shocks, then it is not stron enough to adequately sustain the load, un or great stress.

Efl'orts have been made, with more or less success, to remedy the objections noted b interposing in the spring suspension, auxi in devices in the nature of coil springs, which operate in connection with the main spring suspension and the vehicle'chassis on t e body.

In my preferred construction mentioned, in passing oirer the rough places or road depressions, the minor shocks are readily taken care of by the spring 3, as the cross arm 2 closes toward the opposing arm 1 and thereby effects compression of the said spring 3.

By combining with the said sprin 3, a chec er device, in the nature of a das l pot, the shocks incident to the deflection and rebound of the sprin and the disagreeable shocks or stops usua ly incident in the up or rebound movement of the vehicle, is absorbed by the said checker device, it being understood the plunger 9 on the down thrust is cushioned by the constantly increasin compression of the fluidbeneath it, which fluid during such compression partially but slowly passes into the top of the cylinder, back of the piston.

As the axle rebounds and the spring 3 tends to expand and resume its substantially normal position, the fluid back of the piston 9, which at best passes to the under side of the piston very slowly, operates to check an instantaneous expansion of the spring, since its rebound or ex ansion depends upon the escape of the fluid from the ack to the front side of the plunger 9, such operation of the parts mentioned tending, in a very effective and positive manner,

to absorb the violent shocks imparted to the running gear and to cushion or deaden such shocks without producing violent reaction.

For some of the lighter'weight automobiles, the checking device, beforereferred to, may be omitted and only the auxiliary spring 3 used, for example as in the modified form shown in Fig. 9, which illustrates the arm 1 connected to a link 33 that pivotally joins with the downwardly and inwardly curved end of an upper main s ring 27, or, if necessary, to t e chassis rame section like 6 in F ig. l, which has its end extended to connect with the lower end of the link 33. a

In the latter form, the inner end of the arm 1 is substantially fixedl secured to the main spring 7 by a yoke 0 amp 30 that is secured to the main spring 7, see Figs. 9 and 11, and which has an eye 28 atthe upper end to receive the hook-shaped end 29 of the arm 1.

The sprlgiig 3 is interposed between the opposin' or ends of the arms 1 and 2 to whic the upper and lower portions of the spring 3 are secured by the clip clamps 17-17, as shown.

In Fig. 10, I have illustrateda further modification of my invention and, in this latter form, the construction shown in Fig.

9, so far as it relates to the suspension of the spring 3, is utilized.

In the. arrangement shown in said Fig. 10, the cross arm 1 is pivotally connected at one end by a bolt 36 to the corresponding outer end of the main side spring 7 and the inner end thereof is attached to the said spring by a straddle clam 30, as in Fig. 9, while the outer end of t e arm 2 is connected to the adjacent end by a main or back sprin 35 by the connections 37, 38 and 39, as wi 1 be clearly understood from the draw- I rom the fore oin description taken in connection with (its rawings, it is believed that the complete construction, the manner of operation and the advantages of my invention will be readily apparent and need not be further referred to.

What I claim is: Y

1. In combination with an overhead su port, and the main leaf spring, a shock a sorber comprisin a pair of crossed and pivotally connected ever arms, one of the said arms having its outer ends pivotally connected to the corresponding end of the main .sprin a link connection that joins the outer 5 end 0 the other arm with the overhead support at a point below the pivotal connection of the said arms, the inner end of the arm connected to the overhead support being fixedly connected to the main spring-and a coil spring interposed between the inner ends of the said crossed lever arm.

2. In combination with an overhead support, and the main leaf spring, a shock absorber comprising a a pair of crossed and pivotallynonnected'lever arms, one of the said armshavingits outer end pivot-ally con nected to thecorresponding end of the main spring, a link connection that joins the outer end of the other arm with the overhead support at a point below the pivotal connection of the said arms, the inner end of the arm connected to the overhead support being fixedly connected to the main spring, and a coil spring interposed between the inner ends of the saidcrossed lever arms, the said overhead support consisting of a leaf spring -whose outer end terminates in a horn that extends below the pivotal connection of the crossed levers and to which the link connection that joins one of the lever arms and the said overhead support is pivotally connected.

3. In a shock absorber of the character described, the combination with the regular main leaf spring and an overhead support u on which the vehicle bod rests, a lever pivoted at one end to the main spring, a second lever pivotally connected to the first lever, the second lever having its outer end pivotally connected to the outer end of the overhead support, and its inner end fixedly connected to the main spring and a yielding connection interposed between the opposite inner ends of the two lovers.

4. In a shock absorber of the character de scribed, the combination with the regular main leaf spring and an overhead support upon which the vehicle body rests, a lever pivoted at one end to the main spring, a second lever pivotally connected to the first lever, the second lever having its outer end pivotally connected to the outer end of the overhead support, and its inner end fixedly connected to the main spring and a yielding connection interposed between the opposite inner ends of the two levers, the said yielding connection consisting of a coiled spring whose opposite ends engage the said opposing inner ends of the levers, and a checking device coiiperative with the said spring and the said inner ends of the lovers for cushioning the rebound of the spring, the said device comprising a dash pot mounted on the main leafs ring and having its plunger rod extended t rough the 11 per end of the coiled spring, and a pivota connection between said rod and the adjacent free end of said first mentioned lever.

5. In a shock absorber of the character described, thecombination with the regular main leaf spring and an overhea'dsupport overhead support, and its inner end fixedly connected to the main spring and a yielding connection interposed between the opposite inner ends of the two levers, the said yielding connection consisting of a coiled spring whose opposite ends engage the said opposing inner ends of the levers, and a checking device cooperative with the said spring and the said inner ends of the levers for cushioning the rebound of the spring, the said checking device including a, cylinder fixedly mounted on the main leaf spring with its upper end extended within the coiled spring, a plunger having a central opening and a disk having a small fluid passage, said disk operating as a valve to close over the said central opening, when the plunger rises on the rebound of the spring, a plun r rod and a. pivotal connection that joins t e said rod and the adjacent lever arm.

CHARLES A. W'IBERG. 

